This month we've partnered up with OXO Tot again to a fun snack time food idea for fall mash-able foods!

Today I wanted to share a fall family favorite recipe, Apple Mash!

Ingredients

5 Jonathon Apples
1 1/2 Cups Water
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Dash of Nutmeg
1 Tsp Lemon Juice

Directions

Cut apples in half and remove any seeds or core. Set aside.
In a pot add water, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and lemon juice. Bring to a boil.
Add apples and stir once. Let sit for 30 minutes on medium heat.
Stir apples again and check every 5 minutes until water has dissipated and apples are soft.
Remove any large chunks of skin and the cinnamon stick.
Place apples in your Food Masher and mash until no large chunks are viable.

The color of the mash turns out beautiful when you use Jonathon Apples (or any other sweet red apple) and the flavors are amazing! Adding lemon juice helps add a little tang and the spices are the perfect combination for fall and not too potent for baby!

For leftovers we us the Glass Baby Blocks that are perfect for storing and re-heating! (we love warmed up apple mash!)

Vienna has also been loving her Feeding Spoon Set by OXO tot that has been perfect for her. They are the perfect size for her to hold in her hand and only hold a small amount of food so shes not feeding herself too much at a time!

Wedding Season + Newborn

I love weddings. There's nothing more beautiful than two people coming together and proclaiming their love for each other in one amazing day of celebration. I love being part of a wedding from start to finish. From the engagement party and bridal shower games to day of breakfast casseroles and ceremony "I do's". Brittany + Travis's engagement and wedding were no different. But unlike any other wedding I've been to, this was my first with a newborn.

When Brittany first asked me to be a bridesmaid the first thing I did was calculate the number of days from my due date to her wedding day. 25 Days. My next thought was, how am I going to know what size dress to order? Will my stomach be back to normal by then? Will my boobs be bigger? Ha! If I knew now that none of that was relevant. What I should have been asking myself was; Who do I know that's been in a wedding that has a newborn? What am I going to do about breastfeeding? How am I supposed partake in all-day-wedding-events that start at 9am and last until 10pm, with a newborn? What's the game plan for when people have been drinking and ask to hold my baby? If only I knew then what I know now.

Three Rules of attending a wedding + newborn

Have a helper, or two. My mom came with me to the brides house so that she could hold Vienna while I got my hair and makeup done, after that she tapped out and my husband came to the venue to help take care of her while we got dressed and took pictures. Then for the ceremony and party the three of us took care of her. It really does take a village!
Have a bottle ready. If you're breastfeeding, pump. If pumping stresses you out and you just can't, bring formula. It just so happened that Vienna got hungry 10 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start. It was so nice to not have to worry about trying to time her feedings, we knew odds were she would get hungry at some point while I was busy, and surprise, she did!
Don't have false expectations. Be loosey-goosey! Don't make any expectations like, were going to stay until the last dance, or, I'm only going to have one glass of wine. Jon and I talked before hand and agreed that we would just go with the flow! We knew it was going to be a long day of activities and as much as we both wanted to be a part of every little thing, we knew it was unrealistic to expect that of ourselves and of Vienna.

{Bonus Tip} I brought some yoga pants and a jacket to the wedding. Breastfeeding while wearing a bridesmaid dress was just ridiculous! I was uncomfortable, I couldn't move freely and therefore Vienna was uncomfortable. I finally gave up and changed into my mom-uniform and was instantly more at ease. I wish I would have just changed sooner!

On that note, Congratulations to the newlyweds, Travis and Brittany! Jon, Vienna and myself had such an amazing time on your special day!